European Development Days 2017

On 7^th and 8^th of June, Cooperatives Europe and its Development Platform (CEDP) participated in the European Development Days (EDDs) 2017 – an annual forum on development and international cooperation organised by the European Commission.This year, the event’s overarching theme was inclusive growth and decent jobs, with a focus on women and youth, which provided a great opportunity for Cooperatives Europe to showcase the added value of the cooperative model in international development.

During the opening ceremony of the EDDs, the New Consensus on Development, which contains three mentions of cooperatives, was signed by the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, the Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat (on behalf of the Council and Member States) and the High Representative and Vice President Federica Mogherini, with a supporting letter by the European Investment Bank. Read the full article here. 

Cooperatives Europe’s stand is included under the ‘Partnerships for CSOs and local actors’ section of the exhibit, and showcased the CEDP partners’ projects in the online platform, with a special focus on We Effect’s agriculture and women’s empowerment project in Bolivia, and Cera’s credit cooperative in Cameroon. 

The interactive features of the stand, such as the quiz, puzzle, and networking web, provided the participants with a fruitful and educational exchange. Furthermore, we were joined by special guest Praxedes Banseka from CERA’s partner CamCCUL, who shared with guests her unique experience on the field in the Cameroon.

Click here to take a tour of our stand and know more about the partnership between CERA-BRS and CamCCUL.
All the photos are available here.